Education Policy in the EU - Sources - Kate Imp

Date of Search: November 1, 2009

Search Topic: Diversity, Discrimination, and Multiculturalism: Education Policies in the EU

Where I Searched [Source #1]: EBSCOhost
Search Terms: European Union, Education, Initiatives

Evaluation: I originally wanted to keep my search general because I didn’t know what aspect of education I wanted to focus on. When I used the search terms above, I got very mixed results. I scrolled through the abstracts and noticed a few articles about education policies regarding discrimination. This caught my attention when I otherwise would not have thought to pursue it. I have used EBSCO in the past for very specific searches, usually when I just want to pull up a journal article that I already know of. However, in this case I did a general search and was very satisfied with the results.

Citations:

Alexander Pollak, Discrimination and Good Practice Activities in Education: Trends and Developments in the 27 EU Member States, 19(5) Intercultural Educ. 395 (2008).

Tihomir Ziljak, Lost in Translation: Discursive Obstacles in Educational Policy Transfers, 45(5) Croatian Political Sci. Rev. 91 (2008).

Where I Searched [Source #2]: Europa
Search Terms: Education Policy, Fundamental Rights Agency

Evaluation: Europa is very confusing to maneuver through because there is so much information available on this site. I don’t know if the citations listed below will offer me the best information, but nevertheless these were the results based on the search terms used above. I might come back to the Europa site once I’ve collected more information from other sources. I find that Europa is useful if you know exactly what you are looking for; otherwise, you can waste a lot of time maneuvering through the site.

Citations:

European Commission, European Strategy and Co-operation in Education and Training, http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-policy/doc28_en.htm (last visited Nov. 1, 2009).

Fundamental Rights Agency, S’cool Agenda 2007-2008, http://fra.europa.eu/fraWebsite/products/education_training/scool_agenda_08_en.htm (last visited Nov. 1, 2009).

Where I Searched [Source #3]: Google
Search Terms: European Union, Discrimination Education Policy, Youth Diversity Education

Evaluation: Normally I like using Google as a starting point for my research. However, I am not finding great results with the search terms used above. I think Google may be helpful once I’ve narrowed my topic, but until then, it seems to be a waste of time. For example, when using the search terms listed above, the first result is Wikipedia, which is rarely a reliable source. One source that did come up from using the search terms above was “EurActiv.” It looks like this site is for news. You can search the site, and each article has a list of “related articles” listed at the end for further research. I don’t know how useful this will be, but its citation is listed below.

Citations:

EurActiv.com, Education, http://www.euractiv.com/en/education (last visited Nov. 1, 2009).

Where I Searched [Source #4]: European Education Policy Network
Search Terms: Youth Education, Diversity Education, Discrimination Awareness

Evaluation: This source is online and has a wealth of information. When I typed information into its search box, I continued to get a page that said “error.” I have emailed the site to ask why. However, after quickly scrolling through the different parts of the site, I realized I could very easily find useful information. The site is extremely organized. For example, the resources page has the following links: Online Working Papers, European Education Journals, Educational Research Organizations, Guide to Researching European Education Policy, and more. These subcategories not only helped me to maneuver through the site, but they also helped me to narrow down my own topic.

Citations:

European Education Policy Network: The Gateway to Research into European Policy Education, http://www.educationpolicy.eu/ (last visited Nov. 1, 2009).